Selection trials for senior team is underway at Bhopal. Indian team for Argentina Test Series is likely to be selected after two days of trails. According to sources, three out of five selectors, have already witnessed morning selection trails today (24th Dec.). Ashok Kumar and his Air India counterpart Zafar Iqbal are absent. Aslam Sher Khan, Ajit Pal Singh and Dhanraj Pillay are already in Bhopal.
Selector Ashok Kumar is nowadays Bhopal based, and we don’t know why he is not attending the trails.
Presently about 40 players are in the camp. Pending any official information on either selection or any other relevant details, it is guessed that the list is likely to be pruned exactly half.
Harendera is the chief coach. In my last trip to Ludhiana, I was told former Olympian Ramandeep Singh has also joined the coaching camp at Bhopal. Both junior and senior camps are simultaneously going on in Bhopal. It could not be conclusively ascertained whether Ramandeep is with the senior or junior team.
It is worthwhile to mention here tomorrow is Christmas, and there are adequate number of Christians in the camp. Christmas being the most important festival, they are deprived of the festival atmosphere, which is avoidable.
We saw in 2004 India played a test match on Christmas eve and for the first time India lost a Test series to France.
In 2006, when current coach Harendera was at the helm, a camp was held even on Diwali Day!!
Is it not high time we do things taking players’ sentiments into account?
Problem here is, you need to plan well in advance to bother about such niceties, and planning is one distant dream which is not in the priority of things.
1 Comment
I wish India all the best. Argentina is a strong team. They are good fighters. Let us prove we are upto the mark.